Feed the Children Mission receives AMVETS Post 868 donation
BROCTON — The AMVETS Post 868, Brocton, recently presented a $100 check to the Feed the Children Mission of the Brocton Tri-Church Parish. Post Commander George Travis and several members of Post 868 visited Brocton Central School to personally see the program in action. Travis was very pleased with the politeness of the children receiving their bag of goodies. Travis, a lifelong resident of Brocton, stated “it is sad to see our way of life changing so drastically; not too many years ago there were local jobs available. One paycheck could support a family, now many of the good paying manufacturing jobs are gone, replaced with service jobs, and it takes two paychecks and even that can’t make ends meet.”
As one of America’s leading veterans service organizations with over 250,000 members, AMVETS (or American Veterans) has a proud history of assisting veterans and sponsoring numerous programs that serve our country and its citizens. Membership in AMVETS is open to anyone who is currently serving, or who has honorably served, in the U.S. Armed Forces from World War II to the present, to include the National Guard and Reserves. For more information, call Commander George Travis at 792-9781 or go to www.amvets.org.
In an effort to curb hunger, the Feed the Children Mission of the Brocton Tri-Church Parish, along with volunteers from the community, have teamed up with the staff and teachers of Brocton Central School to offer a supply of food and snacks for children in the elementary and middle schools on weekends during the school year.
Volunteers have been collecting donations and pre-packaged food to send home with students in need of meals for the weekend. Approximately 73 percent of the students at Brocton Central School (BCS) qualify for free or reduced meals at the school. This strongly conveys the current necessity to chip in and give a helping hand in the community. Currently 85 students have been signed up for program. There is no local grocery store for those without transportation. The community members have only a Country Fair and a recently opened Dollar General Store within the village limits that carry basic supplies such as: milk, soup, eggs, pop, cookies, and chips.
A committee that is co-chaired by Barb Delcamp and Crandall is busy looking for weekly donations. There are a number of volunteers willing and able who participate in seeking donations, packing bags, and driving the stuffed food bags to the school on a weekly basis. The food bags are picked up by the student at school at a specially designated spot in order to provide some privacy.
A $25 donation is able to feed a child during a single month; whereas, a $300 donation will feed a child for the entire school year. Community members are asked to consider making a donation for such a worthwhile community cause. Make checks out to: Tri-Church Parish and write “Weekend Food Program” on the check’s memo line. The check can be sent to Brocton Tri-Church Parish, PO Box R, Brocton, NY 14716.
Anyone who desires to donate food can call 792-4533 for a listing of the types of food/snacks the group hopes to provide. Food donations can be dropped off at the Brocton Tri-Church Parish Parsonage, 35 East Main St., Brocton, on Friday mornings between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.